Thursday, June 13, 2013

The Best Family Hotel in the Philippines:The Best of Stay, Stray, Play and Feast

The Best Family Hotel in the Philippines:
Shangri La Hotels
The Best of Stay, Stray, Play and Feast
First Anniversary Posts
(Series 6)

Philippines is one of the countries blessed
with so many fabulous hotels of all categories,
and luckily they are not as expensive
as their international counterparts.


We have been to so many hotels in the Philippines
and it was quite tough to trim the list down  
to only one hotel and declare it as best among the best,



…but I had to do it as this blog is about the most
family friendly hotel facility in the Philippines.


So many names cropped up when I asked
my wife and the kids on which hotel
they think was the most family friendly 
and the one that they liked best?


Hotel Sofitel came to our mind as who could
ever forget swimming in their  lake size pool,

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 Manila Diamond Hotel offered spacious suites
with great view of Roxas Boulevard…


  

Oakwood – Joy Nostalg had fully furnished suits,
and had a fabulous living room, 


We also thought of Marriott Hotel in Manila  
as it had beautiful rooms,
and connected to a gorgeous mall
and upscale lifestyle center,



Misibis Bay in Albay, also came to our mind
as it that had the breathtaking view of the ocean.




...and a spectacular swimming pool 
snaking around
 the marvelous  upscale resort.


...that had a beautiful bedroom,

  
...but a rather drab living room not befitting
of it's status as a luxury hotel
that made the kids chorus: Lugi.
(Filipino word for not worth it).




…and even the bucolic The Manor at Club John Hay
that had a quaint homey ambiance and
rustic charm and amidst a charming pine forest.



Difficult- it was nothing but difficult and challenging
to decide which is the best among the bests
until my wife said it was Shangri- La Hotel.

No one protested or disagreed Shangri-La Hotel
and everyone just agreed in collective conformity.


When I asked, which Shangri-La- La Hotel?
It made the choice even more complicated.
All of them, someone suggested.
Indeed- why not all of them?




There are five Shangri La properties in the Philippines.
Edsa Shangri La, Shangri La Makati, ShangriLa Mactan,
Shangri La Boracay and Trader’s Hotel Manila.
 We have been to all of them 
except for the Shangri La Boracay.


Edsa Shangri La: Our Home, our hotel.

I cannot remember how many times
we have  stayed in Edsa Shangri La.

EDSA Shangri-La 
Source: http://www.islasphilippines.com/hotel-edsashangrila.html


The kids virtually grew up knowing 
as the hotel that comes to mind whenever
we need an place to stay in Manila.
It is our hotel home.
   



The hotel is treasure throve of memories
for my young and growing family.



It was the age of pre digital cameras
and most of our old photos were burred
in tons and tons of huge photo albums
and a was too lazy to retrieve them.



This is my eldest daughter’s very first hotel experience.
She could not remember it anymore as she was
barely eight months old at that time.



But she got to love the Edsa Shangri- La as the hotel
might have been imprinted on her subconscious
as we stay in the hotel almost every year.

It was in the hotel’s pool that we discovered that
then my son who was barely two years old
can swim on his own without having undergone
formal swimming lesson.




He was enjoying the pool when we decided to
to take his floater off as he was feeling uncomfortable.
 Lo and behold- he just kept on swimming
as if the pool was his natural habitat.


 

We have also stayed a lot in this hotel
when we were building our house in Naga
because of its close proximity to Ortigas’ Home Depot
and Shangri La Mall where we bought
most our furnishing s on our home then.

Source: housinginteractive.com

It is also where our interior decorator would meet us.
 The hotel design one way or another, influenced
how our house would look like in the future.


Shangri- la Makati:   Our Christmas Hotel.

I don’t know why, but there is nothing better
than spending Christmas Eve in a posh hotel.





Could it be due to the gaily decorated lobby?
Or is it because of the authentic looking
Caucasian Sta. Claus commissioned by the hotel
that thrills the kids and the kid at heart to no end?



My family has spent so many memorable
Christmases in Makati Shangri La in the past.





  
Having a Noche Buena at the buffet area
while being serenaded with Christmas Carols
by a choir with angelic voices.



No holiday is complete without being
in this magnificent Christmas hotel.


  
Shangri-La Cebu: Our Vacation Hotel.

We have been several times to Cebu and
stayed of some of their wonderful hotels,




but a vacation in this progressive province
is never the same if we do not stay on
the glorious Mactan Shangri-La  Resort.




My family has spent several memorable
summer vacations in this seaside paradise.




We have always stayed at Trader's Hotel
 Whenever we go abroad, to relax while waiting
for our connecting flight out of Manila,


…or to lay over and rest our jet lag upon arriving
 in the country and before going back home to Naga.


I have already raved like mad about this hotel
in past blogs on how marvelous it is staying
in Trader’s very spacious suite rooms,





…comfy living rooms,

 





….luxurious bathrooms,



…and walk in closets as big
as an ordinary budget hotel rooms.


There is really nothing more that I can say 
that I haven't said in these past blogs:
(you may click the links to read more)


It is a Shangri-la Hotel in all angles
but with a lesser tag price.



For Stay, Stray, Play and Feast, and based
on our personal experience-  the Shangri la Hotels
are the  Best Family Hotels in the Philippines








17 comments:

  1. This is very interesting post. Luxurious bathrooms,comfy living rooms,spectacular swimming pool,and also hotel design are vey intresting and amazing. Luxury resorts in Philippines the Best Family Hotel in the Philippines.

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  2. Why are you not showing your faces to your post? You really shared your experience greatly to uds.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for visiting my blog. Except for photos taken more that 5 years ago when the kids were very young, we are aware of the dangers in the net, I intentionally blot out our faces for protection especially for the kids who are minors.

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  3. Thanks for showing us how beautiful Shangrila Hotel is. I would absolutely bring my family here one of these days. - Jones Lander of Hotel Management System, Jinisys Software Inc., Ground Floor Cebu Holdings, Cardinal Rosales Avenue, Cebu City, Cebu 6000, (032) 415 8647

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  4. In my opinion, you could never go wrong if you choose Shangrii la Hotels . I stayed at Edsa Shangri- la recently and blogged about it and you may want to read an updated info about it in this link:

    http://camsurstaystray.blogspot.com/2013/08/edsa-shangri-la-fabulous-hotel-bad.html

    Thank you for visiting my blog.

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  5. Thanks for sharing this. Now, I can choose the best hotel that I can go to.
    Hotel Manila Philippines

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  6. Wow, this is a great post. When in Quezon City and if one is interested staying in a hotel with swimming pool, you can check out this article...

    http://listof8.blogspot.com/2014/03/Hotels-with-Swimming-Pool-in-Quezon-City.html

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  7. I love to go to you hotels with my family!

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  8. Sounds like a wonderful adventure! fantastic view of Cebu
    http://copenhagen.ph/meetings/

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  9. Wow, the pool looks nice! Great choice. Try Go Hotels, they have good accomodation.

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  10. This certainly looks like a great hotel to spend the vacation with. By the way, do you know any Quezon City Hotel?

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  11. I just love this place. I remember, in childhood me and my family use to travel a lot here in Philippines. Am planning to visiting this beautiful place once again and currently I am looking for the online website providing services for Book A Flight Hotel And Car. Thanks for the blog. Keep doing the good work.

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  12. Nightlife in Manila - Live for the thrill of the night, this is a good place for friends!

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  13. Thank you so much for sharing your experiences with us, as well as the time you put in just to write this! good job!

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